Chapter 25: Displaying Divine Skills, Meeting the Midwife Again (Seeking Readership!)
-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// geriatrictranslations.com/
Special Permission was given to upload the novel on WebNovel.
Geriatric Translations can be supported on patreon (https://www. patreon.com/geriatricvibes) where additional chapters can be enjoyed.
You can also join the Geriatric Translations Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------
The Dao Fruit transformed once again!
He obtained the Prototype of Divine Ability... Heavenly Craft: Thousand Analysis Hand!
This was something Li Che had never expected. Pushing the Dao Fruit to level 3 actually resulted in such a transformation!
"Prototype of Divine Ability..."
Li Che murmured.
With a thought, he looked at his hands. Faint jade-colored mist seemed to rise from his arms, seeping out through his pores, making his fingers and arms appear as if carved from jade.
[Prototype of Divine Ability (Heavenly Craft: Thousand Analysis Hand): Absorb Divine Essence, nurture divine skills, transcend to the realm of immortal craftsmanship, and elevate one's techniques.]
The description appeared before his eyes.
Li Che felt a tremor in his heart, utterly astonished.
"Absorb Divine Essence?!"
"Does it mean to absorb Divine Essence? Can this Prototype of Divine Ability absorb Divine Essence for my use when activated?"
Divine Essence... It was a realm he had yet to touch.
Although his wood carvings were sent to the Inner City for the disciples of Noble Families to cultivate Divine Essence, Li Che had never truly come into contact with Divine Essence.
Gradually calming down, Li Che exhaled, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Unfortunately, I don't know what use Divine Essence has for now... However, absorbing Divine Essence is just one effect of the Thousand Analysis Hand. There are still new transformations to come."
Li Che focused his mind, looking at his arms shrouded in golden mist, a smile playing on his lips.
Looking at the "Nine-headed Avalokiteshvara Weeping Ghost Suppressing Statue," Li Che raised his hand, and a palm covered in jade-colored mist pressed onto the wood carving.
Instantly, the jade mist seemed to transform into a stream of light, and all the carving techniques and skills of the wood carving were presented before his eyes, easily analyzed and controlled by Li Che.
Li Che released his hand, his smile growing even wider: "Thousand Analysis Hand... can analyze any craft."
"As long as it is touched, it can analyze the essence, like investigating the nature of things, understanding the true nature, and acquiring skills."
To verify his hypothesis, he left the workshop and ran to the finished statues outside.
Snowflakes fell gently.
A few figures, workers from the shop, carefully placed the finished statues.
These were the laborers of the shop, and Li Che had once been one of them.
"Master Li!"
The workers all smiled flatteringly when they saw Li Che.
"What kind of wood do you need? Just say a word, and we'll bring it in for you. It's so cold, you shouldn't have to come out," one worker wiped his sweat and hurriedly said with a smile.
Li Che waved his hand: "No, I just wanted to take a look."
He then walked to a finished statue, reached out, and covered it with his hand, jade mist spreading from his palm.
Instantly, the carving techniques and processes of the statue were presented in his mind, without the previous limitation of once a day. Now, there were no restrictions.
Moreover, he could grasp the techniques more finely, even improving and innovating upon the original techniques to address their flaws.
"Indeed..."
Li Che released his hand, a smile spreading across his face, his confidence growing. He felt more confident about creating the remaining nine highly complex mechanisms in the *Tang Family Mechanism Records*.
"It's time to update the mechanisms... to give Zhao Chuanxiong an even bigger surprise."
A month passed.
Li Che underwent significant transformation.
His cultivation improved, his craftsmanship advanced, and he gained the Prototype of Divine Ability [Thousand Analysis Hand].
It was time to eliminate the potential threat posed by Zhao Chuanxiong.
Otherwise, Li Che always felt as if a sword was hanging over his head, making it difficult to sleep or eat, always fearing that Xi Xi might suffer a great calamity.
...
...
In the afternoon.
Xu Beihu arrived as scheduled, wearing a large cloak, his figure becoming even more robust.
"Master Li, is the wood carving complete?"
Xu Beihu's voice was rough, his eyes shining with vitality. As soon as he entered the wood carving shop, he sought out Li Che.
Entering the workshop, he saw the wood statue quietly placed on the workbench, his eyes brightening.
"Good, good, very good! Master Li, your skills have improved! This Avalokiteshvara Weeping Ghost Suppressing Statue... is indeed excellent, full of meaning!"
Xu Beihu stared at the Weeping Ghost Suppressing Statue, unable to tear his eyes away.
"Unfortunately, the Divine Essence I cultivate is not 'Weeping Ghost Suppressing.' Otherwise, I wouldn't sell your wood carving to the Si Family... at least, I'd charge more, hahaha."
Xu Beihu laughed.
"If Second Manager needs it, you can place an order with me. A business of five gold leaves at a time, I'd be glad to have more, ensuring a comfortable life."
"Hahaha, I'll come to you if there's a chance, but... the wood carvings I need must be made by a master carver."
"If you want to sell me wood carvings, you need to become a master carver. The direct line of the Xu Family cultivates Divine Essence, and the wood carvings they use are all made by masters. Si Mu Bai... is at a critical stage of breakthrough, so he's casting a wide net, not being picky, and needs more wood carvings, which is why he came to you."
Xu Beihu explained with a smile.
Releasing his hand, Xu Beihu looked at Li Che with curiosity: "Master Li, your talent in wood carving... is truly remarkable, with the potential to become a master. If you study Divine Essence diligently, you might have a chance to become a master carver in the future."
Hearing this, Li Che became curious: "Second Manager, what's the difference between a master carver and a regular carver?"
Xu Beihu, who had high hopes for Li Che, did not hide anything.
The two called for the workers to load the wood carving onto the prepared carriage, and Xu Beihu invited Li Che into the luxurious carriage.
Inside the carriage, a boiling stove was burning, and tea was being brewed.
Xu Beihu poured a cup of tea for Li Che and explained: "The reason a master carver is called a master... is because the wood carvings they create are fundamentally different from those of ordinary carvers."
"This difference lies in Divine Essence."
"The wood carvings made by master carvers generate real Divine Essence, which can be absorbed."
"This one point alone is the difference between heaven and earth."
Xu Beihu said softly.
Li Che's body trembled slightly at the thought of creating wood carvings with real Divine Essence.
"It's not hard to understand. You know about spirit infants... when a human and a human combine to give birth to a child, only those favored by heaven and earth are born with Divine Essence. Master carvers... when they create spirit infant wood carvings, it's like a pregnant woman giving birth to a spirit infant, giving the wood carving a chance to possess Divine Essence. Although the Divine Essence generated is not comparable to a real spirit infant, it's equivalent to displaying divine skills, capturing the free-roaming Divine Essence of heaven and earth."
Xu Beihu explained with a smile.
"Do master carvers cultivate Divine Essence techniques?" Li Che asked.
Xu Beihu nodded matter-of-factly: "Without cultivating Divine Essence techniques, one remains a mere ant. Without cultivating Divine Essence, how can one feel, understand, and bestow Divine Essence?"
Perhaps thinking of something, Xu Beihu smiled at Li Che: "Master Li, don't rush. Divine Essence techniques are incredibly precious, the most valuable possessions of every major family and clan."
"Although Master Li's talent is good now, it still needs to be evaluated. Besides... Master Li is too young and needs more experience and qualifications before attempting to cultivate Divine Essence techniques to have a chance of becoming a master carver."
"But it's just a chance."
The carriage passed through the bumpy outer city and soon arrived at the magnificent Inner City walls.
Because it was the Xu Family's carriage, it entered the extremely prosperous Inner City without any inspection.
This was Li Che's first time in the Inner City. The buildings were clean and luxurious, lined up in neat rows. Just through the window, one could see various prosperous scenes.
Compared to the turbulent outer city, where people struggled to survive in a dilapidated environment, it was a world apart.
The carriage stopped in front of a wine shop, which was decorated with gold and jewels, extremely opulent.
Several workers quickly ran out of the wine shop, carefully carrying the wood carving and following behind Xu Beihu and Li Che.
"This Golden Splendor Pavilion is one of the best wine shops in the Inner City. A meal here starts at a hundred taels. It seems Si Mu Bai values you highly and is looking forward to your 'Weeping Ghost Suppressing,' so he specially arranged a banquet here."
Xu Beihu laughed.
The two walked through a long corridor with exquisite carvings, each piece of wood meticulously crafted, extremely beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
In the distance, there was a pavilion with open sides, similar to a suspended terrace, with curtains hanging down, fluttering in the wind.
Li Che saw a figure in white sitting and drinking in the suspended terrace from afar.
Beside the white figure stood an old woman, head bowed, reporting something.
Li Che's steps suddenly halted.
Looking at the old woman, the warmth in his face gradually faded.
Finally...
It completely froze!
Looking at the old woman's face, which Li Che could see in his dreams...
A subtle killing intent spread from the depths of Li Che's eyes.
For...
This old woman was the one who had delivered Xi Xi and killed over a dozen newborns...
The midwife, Lei Chunlan!
ps: The readership on Tuesday is crucial. Don't hoard the book, please support by reading to the end!
(End of Chapter)